Page 464 of A Matter of Time

He looked me up and down before he rose and moved out of the cluster of chairs around the table to stand in front of me.

“I was thinking I’d go out while you stay here and hang with everyone,” I said, testing the waters just to see.

He took the snifter from me and took a sip of the brandy as he stared down into my eyes.

“Are you staying?”

Slight shake of his head as he passed me back the glass. I took another sip and licked my lips. It was really good brandy.

“Sam, come sit down,” Amanda called over to him.

His eyes were on my mouth, and he said something.

I had to lean closer, because I could barely hear him. “Sorry?”

“I said I didn’t get to tell you how good you looked in your suit before.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“Every time I got over to your table, you were off dancing with another one of my cousins.”

“You’ve got a lot of cousins,” I teased him.

His smile was slow, lazy, and very sexy. “And they all liked you.”

“Those nice Catholic girls from New Jersey are scary, Sam.”

He chuckled. “Oh, baby, I know.”

“So you liked the suit?” I fished.

“I did. I wanted to see it come off.”

I smiled at him. “Maybe I’ll just go up to the room and wait for you.”

“No waiting necessary,” he rumbled, taking the glass out of my hand and setting it down on the table before taking hold of my hand. “I was just having a last drink with everyone. I was in the wedding, you know.”

I did know. Dane, as usual, was right.

“Night, everybody,” Sam called over.

He tugged me out of the bar after him and then to the elevator in the lobby. I couldn’t help chuckling.

“What?” he growled at me.

“Why are you all mad?”

He gestured at me like I was nuts. “I’m not mad, but look how you’re dressed to come down to the bar. What were you thinking?”

I was in a long-sleeved pocket T-shirt and old, faded jeans. I didn’t see the problem. “How am I dressed?”

“And you’re all clean and…your hair’s wet.”

“Which has what to do with anything?”

The muscles in his jaw clenched as he squeezed my hand.

“You can stay down here if you want. I didn’t come down here to rush⁠—”